A touring exhibit that looks deep into the past to explain how humankind evolved over millennia has found welcome homes in libraries and seminaries across the United States.
Presented by the American Library Association (ALA) in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s (NMNH) Human Origins Program, Exploring Human Origins: What Does It Mean to Be Human? creates opportunities for audiences across a wide spectrum—from those who do not question the scientific study of human origins to those who are troubled by its findings—to engage the complexities of human evolution research in ways that are understandable, fulfilling, captivating, and relevant.
The exhibition hopes to create a respectful and welcoming atmosphere for the public to explore how, when, and where human qualities emerged, with experts from the NMNH Human Origins Program presenting in-person or virtually at the participating stops. The 1,200-square-foot exhibition includes more than 40 educational panels, interactive kiosks, hands-on displays, videos, 3-D skull casts, and presentations representing groundbreaking research in the scientific study of human origins.
The exhibition, which debuted in 2015, is based on the iconic David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. The current iteration has been traveling the U.S. since December 2023 and will conclude in July 2026. Six public libraries were selected to present the exhibition in their communities for a period of six to nine weeks, in addition to six seminaries.
“This exhibition is all about integrating scientific discoveries from around the globe and making them available for everyone to see,” said Rick Potts, director of the Smithsonian’s Human Origins Program and curator of the traveling exhibition, in 2015. “We hope that it will spark a respectful and positive conversation across the country about what it means to be human and inspire people to contemplate their place in the natural world.”
Exploring Human Origins is currently at the Saint Paul School of Theology in Leawood, Kansas. KSHB Kansas City visited the exhibition this week for a tour and conversation with Nancy Howell, a theology and philosophy of religion professor at the school. Check it out!
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Photo: Courtesy of the National Museum of Natural History.
